g-hbe Review of The History of Mr. Polly

The History of Mr. Polly (1949)

John Mills superb in this minor classic

[9/10 · 23 September 2006]

This novel was one of the books we had to read at my school back in the 60's. It was rather a 'dry' read for 13-year-olds, but I found parts of it stayed with me through the years. The film is better, being directed by the author of the screenplay, Anthony Pelissier with warmth and a kind wit. It is hard to imagine a better actor for the title role - John Mills gives Mr Polly just the right amount of lightness, never once veering into pathos or overstating Polly's 'feebleness', as his wife later calls it. My favourite part of this lovely film is the final half-hour, where Polly stumbles upon the Potwell Inn and finds work as an odd-jobber. The landlady (gently played by Megs Jenkins) not only needs someone to do the heavy work, but needs also protection from Jim, who terrorises her and her customers. After a few run-ins, Jim blows his head off with a faulty shotgun and Polly and the landlady settle down to a quiet life running the Inn. I don't really know why, but the final scene makes me choke a little. Perhaps it's that the story has come to a nice, gentle ending; perhaps it's the director's handling of this final, quiet scene; maybe it's the two actors quietly underplaying their lines; probably it's all three. And maybe it's the thought that no matter how we try nowadays, we just can't make them like this anymore.